The Home Office’s Full Dispersal policy of placing asylum seekers across all UK regions has delivered just 60% of Whitehall’s target and ministers have asked councils to propose solutions.

A letter sent to council chiefs by immigration minister Robert Jenrick earlier this month revealed the mandatory Full Dispersal plan launched in March 2022 – designed to ease pressures on asylum hotspots such as London, Manchester and Kent – has been stymied by low take-up across some regions.